Adjustable boot type composition horseshoe

ABSTRACT

A molded composition boot type horseshoe having a tread portion shaped to cover the entire bottom of a horse&#39;&#39;s hoof and a flexible upwardly extending envelope portion shaped to conform to the lateral walls of a horse&#39;&#39;s hoof and having a pair of triangular folds in the front portion to provide contractual flexibility, and an adjustable tensioning member being a continuous flexible cable which is fastened at the ends to opposite sides of the upper part of the envelope portion and an over center tensioning means secured to the front part of the envelope portion for engagement with the flexible cable for snugging the shoe securely to the downwardly expanding portion of the hoof whereby the horseshoe is firmly urged upward and affixed to the hoof by distributed pressure against the aforesaid downward expanding portions of the hoof, the back of the horse&#39;&#39;s foot and the sole of the hoof.

United States Patent Glass 1 Nov. 21, 1972 154] ADJUSTABLE BOOT TYPE3,577,602 5/1971 Speichinger ..24/70 SK 0 POSITION HORSESHOE C M FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Neel W. Glass, Los Alamos, N.Mex.

1,408,646 7/1965 France ..24/68 SK [73] Assignee: Les-Kare, 1nc.,Pajarito Acres, N.

Primary Examiner-A1drich F. Medbery [22] Filed: Nov. v27, 1970Atmmey-Henry Hellman [21] Appl. No.: 93,119 I A molded composition boottype horseshoe having a [52] US. Cl ..168/18, 168/4, l68/DIG. 1 I treadportion Shaped to cover the entire bottom of a [51] h t. Cl. ..A0ll3/00, A011 5/00 horse,s hoof and a flexible upwardly extending [58]Field of Search ..168/2, 3, 18, 22, 19, 4, Veiope portion Shaped toconform to the lateral walls 36/2'5 24/68 70 of a horses hoof and havinga pair of triangular folds in the front portion to provide contractualflexibility, [56] References and an adjustable tensioning member being acontinu- UNITED STATES PATENTS ous flexible cable which is fastened atthe ends to opposite sides of the upper part of the envelope portionDean and an over center tensioning means ecured to the ROgeI'S frontpart of the envelope portion for engagement 810,849 l/1906 Egger..168/22 with the flexible cable Snugging the Shoe securely 3,486,56112/1969 Kulak ..168/4 to the downwardly expanding portion f the hoof1,689,000 10/1928 Wagner ..36/7.3 whereby the horseshoe is firmly urgedupward and 2,861,310 11/1958 Martin ..24/68 SK fixed to the hoof bydistributed pressure against the 2,041,538 5/1936 Gash 61 a1 ..168/4aforesaid downward expanding portions of the hoof, 513,360 l/l894 COYGll..168/22 the back of the horse!S foot and the Sole of the hoof 3,236,3102/1966 Quick ..168/18 3,491,465 l/ 1970 Martin ..36/2.5 AL 4 Claims, 4Drawing Figures PATENTEDIHVZI m2 3.703.209

INVENTOR Neel VI. Glass ADJUSTABLE BOOT TYPE COMPOSITION HORSESHOE Thisinvention relates to a novel and useful horseshoe and more specificallyto a molded horseshoe which eliminates the need for frequent expensiveshoeing of the metal type and which provides needed protection to thehorses hoof.

The horse is today usually a riding animal for recreational purposes. Itis frequently driven on paved paths as well as stony horse trails. It isoften confined to the stable or barnyard for extended periods at a time.It is most often used by younger members of a family. Some form ofprotection is needed for the horses hooves but the frequent fitting andsecuring of the old fashioned metal horseshoe by a farrier is expensiveand inconvenient because the village blacksmith is practically extinct.In addition, even when available and fitted, metal shoes wear outquickly when used on pavements and are dangerously slippery when thepavement is slick with moisture, snow, or ice. When the horse is used asa recreational animal by young and inexperienced persons the metal shoeis dangerous in the event of a kick and is very likely to cause seriousbodily harm such as skull fractures. Nevertheless, the horses hoof mustbe protected to prevent injury to the horse and to provide effectivetraction for the horses hoof.

Various types of composition horseshoes have hitherto been proposed tosubstitute for the metal shoe and most of them include a flexible soleportion and a flexible envelope for gripping the upper part of thehorses shoe.

In one form of composition horseshoe such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 1,218,901 to Saxton dated Mar. 13, I917, the composition horseshoeis provided with slots in the upper portion and a continuous metalclampband 6 is tensioned around the shoe by a bolt 8. The provision ofthe slots is not a desirable feature because mud and moisture will beadmitted and render the horses hoof subject to grinding erosion and rot.The metal band, inasmuch as it surrounds the shoe, causes a constrictionon the horses foot at a location which, as will later become apparent,will damage the ligaments in the foot in addition to impairingcirculation. The continuous clamping band is not effective in snuggingthe back part of the shoe upward so that the shoe may shift andconstantly work and wear against the hoof as well as to deteriorate dueto flexed portions being unsupported.

Another prior art horseshoe of resilient material is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 2,041,538 to Gash et al. dated May 19, 1936. However, this shoe isretained on the horses hoof by a tight elastic fit at the upper portionof the shoe and, as will be seen, any concentrated constrictive bandaround the upper part of the horses foot results in restricting orcutting off circulation of blood in the foot and tends to cause otherserious and permanent damage to the horse.

Still another prior art horse boot or shoe is shown by U.S. Pat. No.759,636 to Ryan dated May 10, l904. The patentee does not provide forthe necessary loosening of the upper portion when unbuckled to permiteasy application nor is ventilation of the hoof provided for when theshoe is secured.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a shoe for ahorses hoof which will make the nail anchored shoes unnecessary whilemeeting the anatomical needs of the horse.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a horseshoe whichdoes not shift or work on the hoof, which can be applied I quickly andeasily, which prevents mud or water from working into the shoe, providesventilation to the hoof, and is designed to be compatible with theanatomy of the horses foot.

Still another object is to provide a simple but effective buckle devicewhich reduces to a minimum the time and effort required to put on theshoes.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a compositionhorseshoe which is reliably secured in place by an arrangement whichtakes into account the tapered shape of the hoof and avoids constrictionof the blood vessels and tendons of the'horses foot.

These, together with other objects and advantages which willsubsequently become apparent, reside in the details of the construction,arrangement and combination of the several parts and features as morefully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings made a part hereof,

wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fore and aft cross section of a horses foot to show theanatomy thereof.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the flexible horseshoe of the presentinvention in place on a horse s foot.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of mold cast and mold.

FIG. 4 is a front corner perspective of the horseshoe of the presentinvention buckled in place on a horses hoof.

The anatomical factors to be considered in providing an overshoe for ahorses foot are explained with reference to FIG. I. The horses foot iseffectively the extremity of a single digit supported in a hornyhousing. The main bones of the foot are the first phalanx A, secondphalanx B, third phalanx C and distal sesamoid bone D. The bones areflexibly connected by lubricated joints and ligaments. The phalanges areat an appreciable angle to the metacarpal bone so that the foot boneswith the ligaments and muscles extending at an angle of 30 or so fromthe upper portion of the leg provide a shock absorbing mechanism as wellas adaptability to uneven terrain.

Much of the muscle controlled structure extends almost to the bottom ofthe hoof. The upper front portions of phalanx C and phalanx B areconnected to tendon 11 of the common extensor for rotating the front ofhoof 12 upward. Attached to the back side of phalanx C is the deepflexor tendon l4. Attached to the upper portion of the back of phalanx Bis the end of the heavy superficial sesamoidean ligament 16. The firstphalanx A also is attached to ligaments, one to the top front (notshown) and the middle sesamoidean ligament 18 at the middle of the backportion.

The hoof and foot are further constructed to provide cushioning as bythe digital cushion 20. The bottom of the hoof cavity is closed by thefrog 22 and at the forward part by the sole 24 of the hoof. The hoofmaterial is exuded by extremely vascular end portions of the skin. Theenlarged ring like structure at the top of the hoof in front, thecoronary cushion 28, and the coronary corium contribute most to thegeneration of the horny hoof material.

From the foregoing it is demonstrated that the construction andoperation of the horses foot are complex and that motion of the internalparts must not be impeded and reduced circulation by constriction mustbe avoided. The front, sides, and sole portion do, however, effect astrong box so that advantage can be taken of the rigidity and shape ofthe hoof to provide anchorage for an enveloping shoe without involvingany part of the horses foot on or above the coronary cushion. Inparticular, the angle of the front part 26 of the hoof slopes in anopportune direction. This angle averages between 47 and 48 on the forefoot and 54 to 55 on the hind foot. At the mean position MM of FIG. 2between the tip of the hoof and the heel the angle is adverse, beinginclined outward on the front foot at 101 to 102 and 96 to 97 on therearfoot. The upper onethird of the foot at the median position curvesinwardly at about to At the back of the foot advantage is taken of theprotruding cartilage 29. The shoe is molded in an exact shape whichclosely approximates the horse s foot to avoid concentrated pressure onthe rear portion of the foot or on the coronary cushion. Referring toFIGS. 2 and 4, it is seen that each lateral wall is joined to the frontwall proximate the bottom thereof by a smooth continuation zone andabove this zone it is provided with an upwardly diverging triangularflap or fold 44 having an inner and an outer wing which joins eachlateral wall to the front to provide adjustability in snugging the wallsagainst the foot. A fiexible cable or tensile element 46 is fastened atits center to the upper front portion of the shoe by bracket 48. Onopposite sides of the shoe an elongated bracket 50 is fastened to theouter surface of the forward portion of the side walls in any suitablemanner such as by rivets 52. A plurality, such as five recesses providehooks 54 spaced along the direction of elongation on each bracket topermit looping the cable therein and to provide a binder loop portion 46for engagement with elongated over-center toggle 56. The pivoted toggle56 is provided with a plurality of hooks or slots 57 on its undersidewhich are spaced along its direction of elongation and which is hingedlysupported on pin 58 so that it can be turned to an up position. Due tothe inclination of the front part of the shoe, the toggle hooks 57 arecloser to brackets 50in this position than when turned down. A suitabletoggle hook is chosen from the plurality present so that when the toggleis turned down, the lateral walls of the shoe engage the horse s footfirmly.

The particular arrangement of the hardware and the tensioning cable 46shown more particularly in FIG. 4 provides eminently suitable binding ofthe entire shoe. The upper loop directly applies constrictive force tothe front and lateral walls of the shoe and the lower loop appliesconstrictive force to the front wall over the inclined anterior part ofthe hoof thereby engaging the hoof firmly with the walls and sole.

The horseshoe of the present invention is preferably made from urethanematerials. One process found to be successful in as follows:

A plaster blank or mold 60 is shaped and modeled to the desired outsideconfiguration of the horses foot as shown in FIG. 3 except with onedifierence', a protrusion 62 is provided on each lateral wall near thefront. These short radius curved protrusions will permit reentrant flatsor folds to be molded in the shoe and which provide the upwardlydiverging triangular fold between the side wall and the front wall asshown in FIG. 4. A

flexible RTV silicone rubber mold material which is a viscous liquidbefore cure is coated on the plaster mold. After the silicone rubbersets and is cured by heat, it is stripped off the mold. The urethanematerial is of the two component type and is mixed in proper proportionand is painted onto the inside surface of the RTV mold in successivelayers to build up the desired thickness. The sole portion is nextpoured into the mold in a quantity sufficient to obtain the desired solethickness. Coarse abrasive particles, when desired to provide anadditional antislip quality to the shoe, are sprinkled on the inside ofthe shoe sole when the urethane is partially hardened. The urethane shoe40 is next cured, still in the RTV mold, at 212 F for 16 hours. It isthen cooled and the rubber mold is stripped off.

The edges are then trimmed and the hardware at- Y tached. On a massproduction basis the shoes can be injection molded using knowncommercial methods.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. It is obvious that any suitable plastic composition maybe used and that the hardware may be modified without departing from theessential features as above described and illustrated.

What I claim as new is as follows:

1. A removable molded urethane type composition horseshoe comprising anintegral sole and generally upwardly extending front, side and rearwalls; the front wall extending in a rearwardly inclined slope from thejuncture with the front of the sole to the top of the horseshoe at anangle substantially equal to that of a horses hoof, and the top of thehorseshoe terminating at a level proximate to the lower boundary of thecoronary cushion zone of the horses foot, a rear wall shaped to conformto the posterior shape of a horses foot and being integral with the sidewalls and the sole, the front portion of each of the side walls beingjoined to each of the lateral boundaries of the front wall by a smoothcontinuation proximate the sole and by an upwardly diverging triangularfold extending from the smooth continuation zone to the top of thehorseshoe, the fold having an outer wing and an inner wing, the outerwing being molded integral with the front boundary of the respectiveside wall and the inner wing being molded integral with the adjacentboundary portion of the front wall of the horseshoe; a manual tensioningmember tightening device affixed to the front wall of the horseshoe,side brackets each having tensioning member hooks affixed to the outersurface of each of the side walls of the horseshoe, a continuousflexible cable type tensioning member, means affixing a portion of thetensioning member to the outside surface of the top portion of the frontwall, said tensioning member having a preselected length and beingadapted to engage the side bracket hooks and the manual tensioningmember tightening device whereby a tightening manipulation of the manualtightening member tightening device adjusts the amount of lap in thetriangular folds to thereby contract the volume within the horseshoe tofirmly engage the horseshoe with generalized diffused pressure againstthe horses foot below the coronary cushion.

2. The removable horseshoe of claim 1 in which coarse abrasive is moldedin the upper strata of the inside of the sole portion and partiallyextends outwardly from the surface thereof to provide frictionalengagement with the horses hoof.

3. The removable horseshoe of claim 1 in which the side brackets areaffixed in a position on said side walls which lies on a plane whichextends in a direction generally from the point of fixation of thetensioning member on the front wall to the lower rear of the shoe and inwhich the continuous tensioning member posses in a downwardly inclineddirection from the point of fixation to the underside of the sidebracket hooks and through selected ones of said hooks to the upper sideof the hooks and from thence upwardly to the manual tensioning devicewhen the same is in unclamped condition and to a crossed over downwardposition when the manual tensioning device is in tightened position;said manual tensioning device being an over center toggle clamppivotably supported by a horizontal pivot affixed to the upper portionof the front wall of the horseshoe for pivotal rotation in a verticalplane, said toggle clamp having at least one tensioning member hook inits underside, whereby the manual manipulation of the toggle clamp fromopen to clamped position is provided with a mechanical advantage of atleast a factor of two in reducing the volume inside the shoe to grip thehorses foot and whereby the crossed over configuration of the tensioningmember when the toggle clamp is clamped provides a distributed snuggingtension throughout all the walls and sole of the horseshoe along with adistributed inward pressure against the front wall of the horseshoe.

4. The removable horseshoe of claim 1 in which in the unclampedcondition of the horseshoe the outer wing of the upwardly divergingtriangular fold is joined with the adjacent side wall by a moldedreentrant short radius sharp curve first junction approximating a 180angle opening toward the inside of the horseshoe and the other wing ofthe triangular fold is joined with the adjacent boundary portion of thefront of the shoe is a molded rounded broad curve of approximately andopening outward from the front of the shoe whereby upon contraction ofthe horseshoe on a horses foot, the short radius curve localizes thefirst junction fold position and the long radius curve allows the innerfold position to move to locate itself to allow the triangular folds,the front portion of the side walls, and the front wall of the shoe tolie flat against the front wall of the horse s hoof.

1. A removable molded urethane type composition horseshoe comprising anintegral sole and generally upwardly extending front, side and rearwalls; the front wall extending in a rearwardly inclined slope from thejuncture with the front of the sole to the top of the horseshoe at anangle substantially equal to that of a horse''s hoof, and the top of thehorseshoe terminating at a level proximate to the lower boundary of thecoronary cushion zone of the horse''s foot, a rear wall shaped toconform to the posterior shape of a horse''s foot and being integralwith the side walls and the sole, the front portion of each of the sidewalls being joined to each of the lateral boundaries of the front wallby a smooth continuation proximate the sole and by an upwardly divergingtriangular fold extending from the smooth continuation zone to the topof the horseshoe, the fold having an outer wing and an inner wing, theouter wing being molded integral with the front boundary of therespective side wall and the inner wing being molded integral with theadjacent boundary portion of the front wall of the horseshoe; a manualtensioning member tightening device affixed to the front wall of thehorseshoe, side brackets each having tensioning member hooks affixed tothe outer surface of each of the side walls of the horseshoe, acontinuous flexible cable type tensioning member, means affixing aportion of the tensioning member to the outside surface of the topportion of the front wall, said tensioning member having a preselectedlength and being adapted to engage the side bracket hooks and the manualtensioning member tightening device whereby a tightening manipulation ofthe manual tightening member tightening device adjusts the amount of lapin the triangular folds to thereby contract the volume within thehorseshoe to firmly engage the horseshoe with generalized diffusedpressure against the horse''s foot below the coronary cushion.
 1. Aremovable molded urethane type composition horseshoe comprising anintegral sole and generally upwardly extending front, side and rearwalls; the front wall extending in a rearwardly inclined slope from thejuncture with the front of the sole to the top of the horseshoe at anangle substantially equal to that of a horse''s hoof, and the top of thehorseshoe terminating at a level proximate to the lower boundary of thecoronary cushion zone of the horse''s foot, a rear wall shaped toconform to the posterior shape of a horse''s foot and being integralwith the side walls and the sole, the front portion of each of the sidewalls being joined to each of the lateral boundaries of the front wallby a smooth continuation proximate the sole and by an upwardly divergingtriangular fold extending from the smooth continuation zone to the topof the horseshoe, the fold having an outer wing and an inner wing, theouter wing being molded integral with the front boundary of therespective side wall and the inner wing being molded integral with theadjacent boundary portion of the front wall of the horseshoe; a manualtensioning member tightening device affixed to the front wall of thehorseshoe, side brackets each having tensioning member hooks affixed tothe outer surface of each of the side walls of the horseshoe, acontinuous flexible cable type tensioning member, means affixing aportion of the tensioning member to the outside surface of the topportion of the front wall, said tensioning member having a preselectedlength and being adapted to engage the side bracket hooks and the manualtensioning member tightening device whereby a tightening manipulation ofthe manual tightening member tightening device adjusts the amount of lapin the triangular folds to thereby contract the volume within thehorseshoe to firmly engage the horseshoe with generalized diffusedpressure against the horse''s foot below the coronary cushion.
 2. Theremovable horseshoe of claim 1 in which coarse abrasive is molded in theupper strata of the inside of the sole portion and partially extendsoutwardly from the surface thereof to provide frictional engagement withthe horse''s hoof.
 3. The removable horseshoe of claim 1 in which theside brackets are affixed in a position on said side walls which lies ona plane which extends in a direction generally from the point offixation of the tensioning member on the front wall to the lower rear ofthe shoe and in which the continuous tensioning member posses in adownwardly inclined direction from the point of fiXation to theunderside of the side bracket hooks and through selected ones of saidhooks to the upper side of the hooks and from thence upwardly to themanual tensioning device when the same is in unclamped condition and toa crossed over downward position when the manual tensioning device is intightened position; said manual tensioning device being an over centertoggle clamp pivotably supported by a horizontal pivot affixed to theupper portion of the front wall of the horseshoe for pivotal rotation ina vertical plane, said toggle clamp having at least one tensioningmember hook in its underside, whereby the manual manipulation of thetoggle clamp from open to clamped position is provided with a mechanicaladvantage of at least a factor of two in reducing the volume inside theshoe to grip the horse''s foot and whereby the crossed overconfiguration of the tensioning member when the toggle clamp is clampedprovides a distributed snugging tension throughout all the walls andsole of the horseshoe along with a distributed inward pressure againstthe front wall of the horseshoe.